Various types of rock gathering devices are commonly employed in the agricultural and commercial sod industries, as well as in other industries and applications where it is necessary to clear rocks and stones from the ground. Such rock gathering devices gather rocks lying at or near the surface of the ground into a hopper or other suitable rock collection basket so that the rocks may be collected and removed from the surface of the ground prior to, for example, the commencement of tillage or sod laying operations. However, for such applications, a rock gathering device must be relatively large to clear large fields of rocks and of sufficient strength to direct rocks of substantial size into the hopper, yet be flexible enough to accommodate immovable objects, such as roots or large rocks.
Many known rock gathering devices typically comprise a large mobile frame supporting a rock collection basket and a stationary fork and rotatable reel assembly positioned ahead of the basket. The reel has a series of rotatable rakes, or reels of tines, for dislodging the rocks and stones from the ground surface. The stationary fork has a grate portion, which together with the rotatable tines, functions to transfer the rocks and stones rearwardly into the rock collection basket.
While such known rock gathering devices are generally well suited for large commercial and agricultural applications, they necessarily are large and complicated in design because they require a separate motor to drive the reel assembly and a tractor to pull the entire device. As such, they are expensive and bulky in size and poorly suited for smaller, simpler applications, such as for clearing residential yards of rocks prior to planting seed.
For such residential and other less demanding applications, it is desirable to have a rock gathering tool that is inexpensive and simple in design, yet which is easy to operate and flexible and mobile enough to get around immovable objects, between objects, and into tight spaces, as is often encountered in common residential applications. Hence, a heretofore unaddressed need exists for an improved rock gathering tool for smaller scale applications that efficiently dislodges and removes rocks embedded or lying along the surface of the ground and collects them for loading into a hopper or other suitable collection means for remote dumping.